Josh Jones (safety) explained

Josh Jones
Position:Safety
Birth Date:20 September 1994
Birth Place:Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Height Ft:6
Height In:1
Weight Lbs:220
High School:Southfield
(Southfield, Michigan), Walled Lake Western
(Walled Lake, Michigan)
College:NC State (2013–2016)
Draftyear:2017
Draftround:2
Draftpick:61
Pastteams:
Statlabel1:Total tackles
Statvalue1:227
Statlabel2:Sacks
Statvalue2:3.0
Statlabel3:Forced fumbles
Statlabel4:Fumble recoveries
Statlabel5:Pass deflections
Statvalue5:9
Statlabel6:Interceptions
Statvalue6:2
Statlabel7:Defensive touchdowns
Pfr:JoneJo06

Josh Jones (born September 20, 1994) is an American football safety who is a free agent. He played college football at NC State, and was selected by the Green Bay Packers in the second round of the 2017 NFL draft. He has also played for the Dallas Cowboys and Jacksonville Jaguars.

Early life

Jones attended Southfield High School in Southfield, Michigan, for his freshman and sophomore years and then spent 11th and 12th grade at Walled Lake Western High School in Walled Lake, Michigan. He played defensive back and running back. He committed to NC State University to play college football.[1] [2]

College career

Jones played at NC State from 2013 to 2016. After redshirting in 2013, Jones saw his first action in 2014 and had 56 tackles and four interceptions. As a sophomore, he had 64 tackles and one interception.[3] As a junior, he led the team with 109 tackles and three interceptions.[4] [5] Jones entered the 2017 NFL draft after his junior season.[6]

Professional career

Pre-draft

Scouts and representatives from 22 NFL teams attended North Carolina State's Pro Day to scout Jones, Matthew Dayes, Jack Tocho, and nine others. He completed the short shuttle, three-cone, and positional drills. At the NFL combine, Jones completed all the combine drills except short shuttle and three-cone. Jones attended private workouts and visits for ten different NFL teams, including the Chicago Bears, Miami Dolphins, New York Jets, Carolina Panthers, Oakland Raiders, Washington Redskins, Baltimore Ravens, Pittsburgh Steelers, Houston Texans, and Minnesota Vikings.[7] NFL draft experts and analysts projected him to be a second round pick. He was ranked the third best strong safety prospect available in the draft by NFLDraftScout.com, the sixth best safety by ESPN, the seventh best safety by Sports Illustrated.[8]

Green Bay Packers

2017

The Green Bay Packers selected Jones in the second round, 61st overall, of the 2017 NFL Draft.[9] Jones was the ninth safety drafted in 2017.[10] On May 19, 2017, the Packers signed Jones to a four-year, $4.23 million contract that included a signing bonus of $1.21 million.[11] [12]

Jones was the backup strong safety to starter Morgan Burnett throughout training camp and to begin the regular season.[13] He made his professional regular season debut in the season opener against the Seattle Seahawks and made one solo tackle during Green Bay's 17–9 victory. On September 24, 2017, Jones earned his first career start and collected a season-high 12 combined tackles (11 solo) while twice sacking Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton during a 27–24 overtime victory.[14] On December 10, 2017, Jones had one solo tackle, a season-high three pass deflections, his first career interception during a 27–21 victory against the Cleveland Browns in Week 14.[15] He finished his rookie season in with 71 combined tackles (60 solo), five pass deflections, two sacks, and one interception in 16 games and seven starts.[16]

2018

Jones entered training camp slated as the starting strong safety after the role was left vacant by the departure of Burnett during free agency. Jones saw competition for the role from Kentrell Brice.[17] Head coach Mike McCarthy named Jones the backup strong safety, behind Kentrell Brice, to begin the regular season.

Jones was inactive for the first three games (Weeks 1–3) after sustaining an ankle injury during practice.[18] On December 2, 2018, the Packers fired McCarthy after they fell to a 4–7–1 record. Jones became the starting strong safety in Week 14 and held the position for the remainder of the season. In Week 16, he collected a season-high 12 combined tackles (six solo) and deflected a pass during a 44–38 win at the New York Jets.[19] He finished the season with 56 combined tackles (40 solo), two pass deflections, and one sack in 13 games and five starts.[16]

Jones was waived with a non-football illness designation on August 25, 2019.[20]

Dallas Cowboys

On October 2, 2019, Jones was signed to the practice squad of the Dallas Cowboys.[21] He was promoted to the active roster on November 16, 2019.[22] He was waived on December 28, 2019.[23]

Jacksonville Jaguars

On December 31, 2019, Jones was claimed off waivers by the Jacksonville Jaguars.[24]

Jones was named the Jaguars starting strong safety to begin the 2020 season. In Week 5 of the 2020 season against the Houston Texans, Jones was ejected after initiating a helmet to helmet hit on wide receiver Brandin Cooks.[25] He was placed on injured reserve on November 14, 2020, with a chest injury.[26] He was activated on December 5, 2020.[27] In Week 15 against the Baltimore Ravens, Jones recorded his first interception as a Jaguar off a pass thrown by Lamar Jackson during the 40–14 loss.[28]

Jones re-signed with the Jaguars on March 29, 2021.[29] He was released on August 31, 2021.[30]

Indianapolis Colts

On October 20, 2021, Jones was signed to the Indianapolis Colts practice squad.[31] He was promoted to the active roster on November 1.[32] He was waived on December 4.[33]

Seattle Seahawks

On December 15, 2021, Jones was signed to the Seattle Seahawks practice squad.[34] He re-signed with the team on May 3, 2022.[35] He made the Seahawks roster as the third safety behind Quandre Diggs and Ryan Neal. He suffered a hamstring injury in Week 13 and was placed on injured reserve on December 6, 2022.[36]

NFL career statistics

Season !! rowspan=2
Team !Games Tackles
GP GS Total Solo AstSck Int
GB16 7 71 60 11 2.0 1
GB13 5 55 40 15 1.0 0
DAL6 0 2 1 1 0.0 0
Total35 12 128 101 27 3.0 1
Source: NFL.com

External links

Notes and References

  1. http://highschoolsports.mlive.com/news/article/769525810328813706/nc-state-football-grabs-second-metro-detroit-recruit-in-a-week-with-walled-lake-westerns-josh-jones/ NC State football grabs second Metro Detroit recruit in a week with Walled Lake Western's Josh Jones
  2. Web site: Packers.com Josh Jones Bio .
  3. http://www.newsobserver.com/sports/college/acc/nc-state/state-now/article93679197.html 'Humbled' Jones hopes to get back on track for Wolfpack defense
  4. https://sports.yahoo.com/news/former-nc-state-safety-josh-152051522.html Former NC State safety Josh Jones a top-50 NFL Draft prospect
  5. http://www.newsobserver.com/sports/college/acc/nc-state/state-now/article106220062.html Josh Jones steps up for NC State's defense
  6. http://www.newsobserver.com/sports/college/acc/nc-state/state-now/article123131634.html NC State's Josh Jones to enter NFL draft
  7. Web site: Walter Football: 2017 NFL Draft Prospect Visits/Workouts. June 2, 2017. walterfootball.com. August 10, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180810004953/http://www.walterfootball.com/prospectMeetings/byprospect. dead.
  8. Web site: 2017 NFL Draft Rankings: Top Prospects by Position. June 2, 2017. si.com. Chris Burke. April 24, 2017.
  9. Web site: Packers add another defensive back late in second round. April 28, 2017. Packers.com. Spofford, Mike.
  10. Web site: 2017 NFL Draft Listing . 2023-05-17 . Pro-Football-Reference.com . en.
  11. Web site: Spotrac.com: Josh Jones contract. June 2, 2017. Spotrac.com.
  12. Web site: Packers sign S Jones. May 19, 2017. packers.com. May 19, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170522225513/http://www.packers.com/news-and-events/article-press-release/article-1/Packers-sign-S-Jones/42417100-99dd-4fbe-805c-2ac2461f4020. May 22, 2017. dead.
  13. Web site: Ourlads.com: Green Bay Packer's depth chart: 10/01/2017. October 15, 2017. ourlads.com.
  14. Web site: Cincinnati Bengals at Green Bay Packers - September 24th, 2017 . December 31, 2018 . pro-football-reference.com.
  15. Web site: Green Bay Packers at Cleveland Browns - December 10th, 2017 . December 31, 2018 . pro-football-reference.com.
  16. Web site: NFL Player stats: Josh Jones (career) . December 31, 2018 . NFL.com.
  17. Web site: Green Bay Packers: Kentrell Brice is ready to compete for starting safety . December 31, 2018 . dairylandexpress.com . June 12, 2018.
  18. Web site: Packers Week 1 Injury Report: Oren Burks limited, Josh Jones out of Wednesday practice . December 31, 2018 . acmepackingcompany.com . September 5, 2018.
  19. Web site: NFL Player stats: Josh Jackson (2018) . December 31, 2018 . NFL.com.
  20. News: Packers waive S Josh Jones . Packers.com . August 25, 2019 . August 25, 2019.
  21. Web site: Cowboys promote Ventell Bryant, sign Josh Jones to practice squad. Williams, Charean. Pro Football Talk. NBC Sports. October 2, 2019.
  22. Web site: Cowboys place Adam Redmond on IR, promote Josh Jones. Williams, Charean. Pro Football Talk. NBC Sports. November 16, 2019.
  23. Web site: Cowboys promote CB Donovan Olumba to 53-man roster to bolster secondary. The Dallas Morning News. December 28, 2019.
  24. Web site: Jaguars claim defensive back Josh Jones off waivers from Cowboys. Crabtree, Curtis. Pro Football Talk. December 31, 2019 . December 31, 2019.
  25. Web site: Jacksonville Jaguars at Houston Texans - October 11th, 2020 . 2020-10-11 . Pro-Football-Reference.com . en.
  26. Web site: Jaguars Make Roster Moves and Announce Updates for Tomorrow's Game. Jaguars.com. November 14, 2020.
  27. News: Jaguars Make Roster Moves . Jaguars.com . December 5, 2020 . January 12, 2021.
  28. Web site: Jacksonville Jaguars at Baltimore Ravens - December 20th, 2020 . 2020-12-20 . Pro-Football-Reference.com . en.
  29. News: Jaguars Re-Sign Safety Josh Jones . Jaguars.com . March 29, 2021 . March 29, 2021.
  30. Web site: Roster Moves: Jaguars Reduce Roster to 53. Jaguars.com. August 31, 2021. September 2, 2021. September 2, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210902030149/https://www.jaguars.com/news/roster-moves-jaguars-reduce-roster-to-53. dead.
  31. Web site: Colts Sign CB Darqueze Dennard, S Josh Jones To Practice Squad. Colts.com. October 20, 2021.
  32. Web site: Colts Elevate S Josh Jones, RB Deon Jackson To 53-Man Roster From Practice Squad, Place DE Tyquan Lewis On Injured Reserve, Release QB Brett Hundley. Colts.com. November 1, 2021.
  33. Web site: Colts Activate S-Khari Willis From Injured Reserve List, Waive S-Josh Jones, Place C-Ryan Kelly on the Reserve/COVID-19 List. Colts.com. December 4, 2021.
  34. Web site: Seahawks Sign Tanner Muse Off Practice Squad; Place Gavin Heslop On IR. Boyle, John. Seahawks.com. December 15, 2021.
  35. Web site: Seahawks Sign S Josh Jones; Waive DT Niles Scott. Boyle, John. Seahawks.com. May 3, 2022.
  36. Web site: Seahawks Sign RB Wayne Gallman Jr. To Practice Squad, Place S Josh Jones On IR. Boyle, John. Seahawks.com. December 6, 2022.